A South Carolina man is in custody on attempted murder charges after he shot at a family whose children were playing outside and bothering him.

According to the Post and Courier, police worked from witness accounts and surveillance video to determine that George Ernest Merritt, 64, shot at a family, including two small children, after an argument about the noise the children were making.

The gunfire hit the children’s grandparents, who are expected to survive. Merritt also allegedly fired at a one-year-old girl.

According to the police account, the baby and an 8-year-old boy were playing outside their grandparents’ home in a neighborhood near Goose Creek on Monday afternoon.

Merritt, apparently disturbed by the noise, came outside his home and told the children to be quiet. At the point, the grandparents reportedly told him not to yell at the children.

The suspect then allegedly told the children’s mother, who was holding a baby, that she and the baby were going to die. He allegedly retrieved a .22-caliber pistol and opened fire at the family.

The grandfather was reportedly shot as he tried to shield his family from the bullets. His wife was shot in the chest, and both are expected to recover.

No other family members were injured.

Merritt was reportedly arrested in his home, and charged with four counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm.

Photo: Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office